Culture Bash! - Beecham Hill Infant And Primary Students Explore Heritage
Published:Thursday | March 2, 2017 | 3:00 AMOrantes Moore
Students at Beecham Hill Primary and Infant School in Flint River, St Mary, explored the issue of national identity by performing as British, Indian, Chinese, Taino, and African models during a fashion show to celebrate Jamaica Day last week
FLINT RIVER, St Mary:
Last week, in the tranquil district of Flint River, St Mary, around 200 students, parents, and teachers celebrated Jamaica Day at Beecham Hill Infant and Primary School with an innovative exhibition comprising cultural displays, crafts, and performing arts. The school's 'Culture Bash' event explored issues such as heritage and identity and culminated with a concert and fashion show highlighting the African, European, Asian, and Indian elements of Jamaican culture.
During a brief tour of the displays, teacher Annie Ashman told Rural Xpress: "In our antiques section, we have things like a typewriter, enamel cups, and a chamber pot because we're trying to teach the younger generation about the things our fore-parents used.
Increased Understanding
"We want them to understand that although technology has made their lives easier, they should appreciate these things, also.
"Our pastry section has grater cakes, toto, drops, coconut drops, and potato and cornmeal puddings. These things are all extremely important to Jamaican culture and most of them include coconut, which is versatile and can be used in so many different ways. And they are all unprocessed, natural foods, so they are healthy, too."
Local wicker craftsman Barrington Smith added: "I'm here today to showcase my craft, which I've been doing since 1977.
"This type of craft is important because it's the root of Jamaica, from back in the days. I born come see these things, but there aren't many people still doing it, so we're trying to bring it back by showing the young people."
According to acting principal Dawnette Rose, although Beecham Hill functions with limited resources, the school scored above the national average in last year's Grade Six Achievement Test; achieved 100 per cent mastery in numeracy and literacy in 2014; and attracts twice as many pupils as it did a decade ago.
She said: "When I came here 10 years ago, we had 50-something students and now we have doubled that by changing the whole ethos.
"People used to resort to other schools, but we are committed to making Beecham Hill a school of choice.
"Today, we are looking at exposing Jamaica in a global context, so we have displays that help us look back and forward. We are looking at our history and what makes Jamaica what it is today. The students are having a fashion show to depict the various ethnic groups that form the Jamaican culture because, as the motto says, 'Out of many one people'."
Donated By: Samantha Bromfield
We can we use this initiative to move forward in teaching citizenship education by making it an annual event so that students will continuously be exposed to our cultural history. When exposed to our cultural history, they will become appreciative of it and begin to understand and relate to it as Jamaican citizens.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, teachers must make all the efforts to incorporate Jamaica’s cultural history in lessons being taught so as to ensure that students are constantly being reminded of the great legacy our ancestors left for us and how significant it is to us as Jamaican citizens to appreciate our past; it is that same past which helps to define us.